Boat-less but not hope-less

Although Nature Seychelles' underwater coral nursery in the Marine Park by Felicité Island is located close to the shore, bad weather and rough sea conditions can make a shore dive impossible. During rainy days, our Reef Rescuers depend on the boat to complete tasks related to the nursery cleaning, monitoring of the donor site and survey of potential transplantation site.

For the past few weeks our Rescuers’ boat on Felicté experienced some mechanical and electrical issues that kept our team grounded for periods of time. Being based on such an isolated island poses some challenges to this team, especially regarding boat maintenance.

Athina working on the main control panel of the Reef Rescuers Boat

Luckily, one of our staff members, Athina Antoine, is a marine mechanic familiar with boat and engine maintenance and these issues did not stop our Rescuers, who were able to work on some temporary solutions.

After getting some spares from Mahé, and with the help of our Cousin Island Reserve Coordinator, Eric Blais, we were back to business in no time. The week ended with a working boat, good weather and being able to continue with our nursery cleaning tasks.